Overcoming/learning to live with Pure O OCD is not easy. I don't have any magic spells that will instantly fix the problem. You probably will not wake up one day and have a handle on it. However, I do have a few tips that might help you get started.
1. Don't self-spike. What do I mean by that? You know that moment when you're feeling assured and confident? You have conquered that terrible thought, and just to be sure, you want to test yourself. So you think the thought again. And instead of boosting your confidence or making everything better, it just triggers another episode of anxiety. That is self-spiking. Intentionally pitting yourself against the thoughts to see if you have mastered your anxiety. It's tempting, very tempting. But please don't do it. Pure O OCD is not like any other problem you've dealt with. By giving the thoughts more attention, you're fueling the fire, not quenching it.
2. Beware of "back door" spikes. As you start getting better at ignoring the thoughts, they will sometimes not cause you as much anxiety. Sometimes this can make you think that you are accepting the thoughts and that they are now true, which can cause you tremendous anxiety. Believe me, I know. This is sometimes called a "back door" spike, and if you are aware it exists, it is easier to ignore it too. Rest assured that the thoughts you are having are some of your very worst fears. You will not suddenly flip a switch in your brain that makes them okay to you. Learning how to deal with them does not mean that they are real or that you will act upon them.
3. Prayer can be a way of confronting your thoughts. This was a tough one for me. God wants us to pray to Him and talk to Him about what we are going through. However, spending minutes or hours at a time begging God to set you free of this is just another way of confronting your thoughts and trying to make them go away. Is it possible that God will grant your request? Yes. God can do anything, so of course it is possible. Short of a literal miracle, though, this method will not work. Don't misunderstand me. You should still pray about your OCD, but limit how much time you spend on it. Confess the times you failed to ignore the thoughts or trust God with them, pray for His help to trust Him more, and then move on to something else. God wants to hear about your whole life. He wants you to praise Him, thank Him, confess other sins, intercede for others, make requests, and listen to Him. Not necessarily in that order. But my point is if the only thing you are praying about is your OCD, you are missing out.
4. Do not spend too much time dwelling on the fact that you have "Pure O" OCD. Knowing you have a disorder and finding out ways to deal with it are very important. However, dwelling on that for multiple hours a day or researching it online every day can cause you to have more obsessive thoughts later. Again, I speak from experience. It's good to use your resources and to think about it some, but if you do it too much, it can hurt you more than it helps you.
5. Be aware of things that trigger you. Certain things always cause me to have intrusive thoughts. There are certain words, actions, and people that cause me to have an intrusive thought every time I see them. Sadly, with people, it tends to happen with those I love the most because they are the ones I least want to have the thoughts about, which of course causes me to have more of them. So, am I saying you should avoid every potential trigger on the planet? No. For one thing, you would miss out on being around people you love and doing things you enjoy. Second, the problem is inside your brain, not in the outside world, so if you try to avoid triggers, your brain will either find something else to trigger your thoughts or cause a spike in anxiety as you worry about how to best avoid the triggers. Am I saying you should always be on the lookout for these things or keep them in the back of your mind? No. That doesn't work either. All I'm saying is that you should be aware of things that spike you so that when you see/hear/read them, you can recognize that it's one of your usual triggers, give it to God, and move on.
6. You don't have to feel guilty about your thoughts. Your intrusive, obsessive thoughts are not your fault. You have a disorder, and you can't help it. Are they horrible? Yes, but that doesn't make them your fault. They come from some of your deepest fears. Whether these thoughts are sin or not, I don't know. They clearly come from our sinful nature because that's where our fears come from. Regardless of whether or not you choose to think of them as sin, the blood of Jesus covers them. They are forgiven. You don't have to feel anxious or guilty about them. Period.
7. You don't have to feel guilty about feeling anxious. So, I just said, you don't have to feel anxious, right? Yes, I did...but you'll feel it anyway. OCD is an anxiety disorder, and you WILL experience anxiety. You don't have to, but you will. And here's the good news. The blood of Jesus covers that too! So, when something triggers OCD anxiety or when you spike yourself, you don't have to feel guilty about that either. Just tell God you're sorry and then move your mind somewhere else. It is 100% covered by the blood of Jesus.
8. Don't underestimate the power of a deep breath. Seriously, taking a deep breath forces you to relax at least a little and can help you move your thoughts elsewhere. My friends and coworkers probably think I sigh a lot, but it helps. It really does.
9. It is possible for your obsession to change. It is not uncommon for the things that trigger your OCD to shift slightly. Fairly often, they can change dramatically. Be aware of that, so that if you feel a shift starting, you know to treat it just like the intrusive thoughts that you are used to, meaning that you ignore them, rather than rationalizing or confronting them.
10. Don't give up. You will make mistakes. You will give credence to the thoughts even though you don't have to. You will doubt that you even have Pure O. You will have days where you feel like your head is going to explode because of the intensity of the thoughts. It will not consistently get better. You will have some really good days followed by some really bad days. You will cry out to God for deliverance. And He hears you. It might not feel like it, but He does. However, He might not bring deliverance in the way you want Him to. He might do it by teaching you how to trust Him a little more one day at a time. So please, don't give up. It can get better, and with God by your side, it will.
1. Don't self-spike. What do I mean by that? You know that moment when you're feeling assured and confident? You have conquered that terrible thought, and just to be sure, you want to test yourself. So you think the thought again. And instead of boosting your confidence or making everything better, it just triggers another episode of anxiety. That is self-spiking. Intentionally pitting yourself against the thoughts to see if you have mastered your anxiety. It's tempting, very tempting. But please don't do it. Pure O OCD is not like any other problem you've dealt with. By giving the thoughts more attention, you're fueling the fire, not quenching it.
2. Beware of "back door" spikes. As you start getting better at ignoring the thoughts, they will sometimes not cause you as much anxiety. Sometimes this can make you think that you are accepting the thoughts and that they are now true, which can cause you tremendous anxiety. Believe me, I know. This is sometimes called a "back door" spike, and if you are aware it exists, it is easier to ignore it too. Rest assured that the thoughts you are having are some of your very worst fears. You will not suddenly flip a switch in your brain that makes them okay to you. Learning how to deal with them does not mean that they are real or that you will act upon them.
3. Prayer can be a way of confronting your thoughts. This was a tough one for me. God wants us to pray to Him and talk to Him about what we are going through. However, spending minutes or hours at a time begging God to set you free of this is just another way of confronting your thoughts and trying to make them go away. Is it possible that God will grant your request? Yes. God can do anything, so of course it is possible. Short of a literal miracle, though, this method will not work. Don't misunderstand me. You should still pray about your OCD, but limit how much time you spend on it. Confess the times you failed to ignore the thoughts or trust God with them, pray for His help to trust Him more, and then move on to something else. God wants to hear about your whole life. He wants you to praise Him, thank Him, confess other sins, intercede for others, make requests, and listen to Him. Not necessarily in that order. But my point is if the only thing you are praying about is your OCD, you are missing out.
4. Do not spend too much time dwelling on the fact that you have "Pure O" OCD. Knowing you have a disorder and finding out ways to deal with it are very important. However, dwelling on that for multiple hours a day or researching it online every day can cause you to have more obsessive thoughts later. Again, I speak from experience. It's good to use your resources and to think about it some, but if you do it too much, it can hurt you more than it helps you.
5. Be aware of things that trigger you. Certain things always cause me to have intrusive thoughts. There are certain words, actions, and people that cause me to have an intrusive thought every time I see them. Sadly, with people, it tends to happen with those I love the most because they are the ones I least want to have the thoughts about, which of course causes me to have more of them. So, am I saying you should avoid every potential trigger on the planet? No. For one thing, you would miss out on being around people you love and doing things you enjoy. Second, the problem is inside your brain, not in the outside world, so if you try to avoid triggers, your brain will either find something else to trigger your thoughts or cause a spike in anxiety as you worry about how to best avoid the triggers. Am I saying you should always be on the lookout for these things or keep them in the back of your mind? No. That doesn't work either. All I'm saying is that you should be aware of things that spike you so that when you see/hear/read them, you can recognize that it's one of your usual triggers, give it to God, and move on.
6. You don't have to feel guilty about your thoughts. Your intrusive, obsessive thoughts are not your fault. You have a disorder, and you can't help it. Are they horrible? Yes, but that doesn't make them your fault. They come from some of your deepest fears. Whether these thoughts are sin or not, I don't know. They clearly come from our sinful nature because that's where our fears come from. Regardless of whether or not you choose to think of them as sin, the blood of Jesus covers them. They are forgiven. You don't have to feel anxious or guilty about them. Period.
7. You don't have to feel guilty about feeling anxious. So, I just said, you don't have to feel anxious, right? Yes, I did...but you'll feel it anyway. OCD is an anxiety disorder, and you WILL experience anxiety. You don't have to, but you will. And here's the good news. The blood of Jesus covers that too! So, when something triggers OCD anxiety or when you spike yourself, you don't have to feel guilty about that either. Just tell God you're sorry and then move your mind somewhere else. It is 100% covered by the blood of Jesus.
8. Don't underestimate the power of a deep breath. Seriously, taking a deep breath forces you to relax at least a little and can help you move your thoughts elsewhere. My friends and coworkers probably think I sigh a lot, but it helps. It really does.
9. It is possible for your obsession to change. It is not uncommon for the things that trigger your OCD to shift slightly. Fairly often, they can change dramatically. Be aware of that, so that if you feel a shift starting, you know to treat it just like the intrusive thoughts that you are used to, meaning that you ignore them, rather than rationalizing or confronting them.
10. Don't give up. You will make mistakes. You will give credence to the thoughts even though you don't have to. You will doubt that you even have Pure O. You will have days where you feel like your head is going to explode because of the intensity of the thoughts. It will not consistently get better. You will have some really good days followed by some really bad days. You will cry out to God for deliverance. And He hears you. It might not feel like it, but He does. However, He might not bring deliverance in the way you want Him to. He might do it by teaching you how to trust Him a little more one day at a time. So please, don't give up. It can get better, and with God by your side, it will.